(Matt Drzik/Beaver County Radio)

Once you do it good once, they can hope you can do it over and over again.

This is the situation facing Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Brendan McKay as he takes the mound tonight against the New York Yankees at Tropicana Field. The Blackhawk graduate shined in his first MLB start on Saturday (June 29), pitching six innings of one-hit ball against the Texas Rangers. McKay threw three strikeouts in Tampa’s 5-2 victory.

McKay’s presence could help the Rays at a time when it’s most needed. Tampa Bay comes into tonight 7 1/2 games behind the first-place Yankees, having dropped Game 1 of the series 8-4 in 10 innings on Thursday. The Rays lead the AL Wild Card race by 1 game over Cleveland and 2 games over Oakland.

While this is McKay’s 2nd game as a starting pitcher, it is his 3rd game overall. He was the Rays’ designated hitter on Tuesday, going 0-for-4 in Tampa Bay’s 6-3 victory over Baltimore.

Tonight’s Rays/Yankees game will have a first pitch of 7:10.